Recent industrialization progress has increased consumption of western-style foods and convenience of facilities has increased the lack of physical activity, weight gain and society's complexity, leading to changes in disease patterns. Unlike in the past, chronic degenerative diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, cancer, obesity and diabetes have become the leading cause of death. Of these chronic degenerative diseases, especially diabetes, together with obesity, has become a growing concern, because the number of patients has rapidly increased and the age-at-onset of diabetes has become younger.
Diabetes is a disease characterized by the excretion of blood glucose into the urine, and is one of chronic degenerative diseases substantially incurable. Alterations in eating habits due to rapid industrialization progress have prolonged the life expectancy, but have been implicated in the rising prevalence of chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes or the like. The prevalence of diabetes in Korea is reported to reach approximately 5-10%, and tends to steadily increase. Diabetes is certain to be a serious national health problem in the 21st century. Diabetes is also a global public health crisis, and the third most prevalent disease in the world. Diabetes causes complications in many organs such as the retina, kidney, nerve, and cardiovascular system, and thus continues to be a particularly serious social problem.
Because obesity is a cause of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and various cancers, and the medical care costs of obesity-related diseases are increasing, investigation of materials having a body fat-reducing effect and demonstration of the effect thereof become a major concern worldwide. Many studies for treating and preventing obesity have been also actively conducted in many countries. Present methods include a diet therapy decreasing food-intake to reduce energy, an exercise therapy increasing energy consumption, surgical therapies such as cutting off parts of inner organs or suction of fat, and drug therapies using a metabolic accelerator, an appetite-suppressant or a digest/absorption-suppressant.
However, no satisfactory method has been reported and the above methods have side effects such as yo-yo effect that obesity becomes more serious after stopping the therapy; unbalanced nutrition condition due to diet therapy; or infections due to decreased immunity. In particular, the drug therapy causes depression, insomnia, indigestion, or the like. Therefore, it is strongly desired to develop a safe and effective method for accelerating body weight loss other than the conventional methods.
Cudrania tricuspidata ((Carr.) Bureau ex Lavallee) is a deciduous tree belonging to the family Moraceae, and is also called Cudrania, Silkworm Thorn, and Chinese Mulberry. Cudrania tricuspidata contains a variety of active ingredients in the root bark, xylem, stem bark, and leaves. Traditionally, the root barks, stems, leaves, stem barks, and fruits of Cudrania tricuspidata have been used in traditional medicines as an antihypertensive, an antitubercular agent, an antifebrile, an antitussive, an expectorant, a diuretic, an antihemorrhagic, and an anti-apoplexy drug, and also used for athlete's foot as an antifungal drug, and for chronic dyspepsia caused by weak digestive systems.
The fruit of Cudrania tricuspidata is a spherical aggregate fruit, and about 2.5 cm in diameter. It ripens to red color in September to October, and the flesh is sweet and edible. Reportedly, the fruit contains useful organic compounds such as vitamin B, B1, B2, C, linolenic acid, glucose, maltose, fructose, malic acid, citric acid, etc., and the stem bark contains a large amount of ingredients effective for lung cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer, and cervix cancer. Cudrania tricuspidata contains flavonoids that are known to have anti-cancer effects, and thus its medicinal uses were reported in traditional medicine books such as DonguiBogam, yaksunggam, and Bonchokangmok
Meanwhile, recent studies have been continuously conducted on the use of Cudrania tricuspidata extracts. There are Korean patents regarding Cudrania tricuspidata, including a Cudrania tricuspidata drink and a preparation method thereof, a method for manufacturing Cudrania tricuspidata granules using sorbitol, functional rice coated with the root extract of Cudrania tricuspidata and a preparation method thereof, etc., but there is no report of the inhibitory effects of Cudrania tricuspidata extract on obesity and diabetes as disclosed in the present invention.
Coix lachryma-jobi (Coicis semen) has the efficacies of invigorating the spleen to eliminate dampness, removing obstruction to stop diarrhea, and clearing up heat and promoting pus discharge, and contains starch, fatty oil, Coixol, sterol, amino acid, vitamin B1, Coixenolide as main ingredients. Coix lachryma-jobi is an annual grass crop belonging to the family Poaceae, and also called adlay, Coix seeds, pearl barley, Job's tears, and semen coicis. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activities, and cholesterol-lowering, sedative and analgesic effects, and thus used as an injectable formulation for neuralgia or arthralgia. Coix lachryma-jobi is also useful for dyspepsia, arthralgia, and muscle cramps and effective for recovery of fatigue and for the prevention of melasma and freckle to remove facial blemishes. It has an excellent whitening effect, and an effect of expanding and contracting peripheral nerves, and thus is useful for acne, edema, beriberi and neuralgia.
However, there are no reports or descriptions that the mixture of Cudrania tricuspidata and Coix lachryma-jobi extracts is able to suppress obesity and diabetes at the same time.
The present inventors have made many efforts to find a natural substance capable of suppressing obesity and diabetes at the same time. They found that the Cudrania tricuspidata and Coix lachryma-jobi extracts have excellent inhibitory activities on ATP citrate lyase and H2O2-induced apoptosis of pancreatic islets so as to suppress obesity and diabetes, thereby completing the present invention.